UPDATE: 16.50: MTV have apologised for any offence caused by their 'tongue-in-cheek' campaign.

A spokesperson from MTV said: “MTV’s marketing campaign for series 3 of The Valleys is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the iconic Wonderbra advert and reflects the fun and flirty nature of the show.

"It is unfortunate the billboard has had to be taken down as we think our cast look great in the adverts. We apologise if we have offended anyone and hope we haven’t put anyone off visiting Wales”

UPDATE 16.30: Unconfirmed reports from Monmouthshire Council now say the posters have been removed due to threats of legal action.

A spokesperson for Monmouthshire County Council said: "The enforcement officer who visited, advised the occupier the posters should be taken down otherwise there was a likelihood that legal action could be taken.

"By the time she arrived back in the office she had received a call to say that the posters had been removed though this has not been confirmed."

A PR stunt in Monmouthshire featuring semi-clad reality TV stars on a fake “Welcome to Wales” road sign has been dubbed sexist and tawdry by a senior Tory councillor.

Promoted stories

The county council’s Bob Greenland has lashed out at the campaign to advertise MTV’s The Valleys, has said the signs were put up without permission and will be removed.

Monmouthshire council says it has received a number of complaints.

MTV put up the offending hoarding on land adjacent to the A465, near Abergavenny, in what the broadcaster described as an “entertaining spin” for the traditional road-side greeting.

But Cllr Greenland, cabinet member for tourism, was not amused.

He said: “This is a sexist and tawdry PR campaign based on outdated stereotypes of Welsh identity. Rather than pander to their attempts to get people to tune into yet another reality TV show we’d rather talk about real talent.

“Our young people are achieving some of the best education results in Wales, our award winning youth service is making a real difference to the lives of people young and old in this county and beyond.

“As the gateway to Wales we take the appearance of our county very seriously. These signs have been put up without permission and will be removed.”

A spokesman for the council said the authority has received a number of complaints and that an enforcement officer was going up to have a look at the sign.

According to a press release from the broadcaster the “sexy pop-ups" feature a "unique driver friendly ‘double sided’ cheeky design that allows a 360 view of the show's best assets.”

Ipsoregulated

This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standardards Organisations's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a compaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here